Local votes add moratoriums and size caps to data center sites

What happened?

1. An NBC News Election Day poll found 76% of voters said they opposed data centers in their communities, The Verge reported.
2. Voters decided 45 local ballot measures on data centers nationwide; a Redbud Consulting compilation showed 33 of the results would restrict development as of Wednesday morning, according to The Verge.
3. In Wells, Maine, the town voted in favor of a 180-day ban on big data centers, retroactive to mid-June 2026, while multiple Ohio municipalities approved prohibitions on data centers larger than 25MW.
4. For 10 years, data centers drawing a peak electrical load above 10MW will not be allowed, following a vote by the City of El Dorado, Kansas.
5. Texas Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa won the governor's seat over Republican incumbent Greg Abbott in the state with the second-highest number of planned data centers, The Verge reported.

The measures include a 180-day moratorium in Wells, Maine, bans on facilities over 25MW in several Ohio cities, and a 10-year ban on data centers above 10MW peak load in El Dorado, Kansas. The Verge also reported that Texas governor-elect Gina Hinojosa supports moratoriums in the state with the second-highest number of planned data centers.

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